Episode 32: Supporting Treatment Resistant Students in Wilderness

SKYlights

PREVIEW:

Open Sky works with many teens and young adults who may be resistant to traditional talk therapy. In this episode of SKYlights, Clinical Therapist Mark Sobel, LCSW discusses what treatment resistance means, how it shows up in the students he works with, the power of wilderness therapy to help young people heal and grow, and what parents can do to care for themselves while connecting with their children.

GUEST PROFILE:

MARK SOBEL, LCSW

Mark Sobel is a Clinical Therapist at Open Sky. Mark builds on more than a decade of prior experience working with children, adolescents, and families. Mark approaches his work with families with deep care and empathy, informed by his holistic understanding that treatment is a continuum and the journey for parents can often feel long and challenging. Compassion and authenticity are his cornerstone values, as he knows that growth requires both discomfort and hope. Drawn to Open Sky’s humanistic philosophy and family-focused approach, Mark’s goal is to help families harness the skills necessary to make real, lasting change while supporting his client’s growth towards self-actualization.

TOPICS COVERED: Treatment Resistance, Therapy, Therapy Resistance, Student Therapy, Counseling, Adolescents, Parenting

00:00 Intro

01:51 What is treatment resistance?

03:50 How treatment resistance shows up

07:00 Creating an experience of connection and interest

13:30 Resistant behavior and self-protection

15:20 The power of wilderness therapy

18:00 The parent experience, self-care, and fostering curiosity

21:04 Responding to a resistant student

SELECT QUOTES:

“I think oftentimes that resistance is self-protective because it's steeped in this belief of, ‘Why am I going to open up when my experience is that other people don't actually consider my experience valid?’”

“Patience can be really difficult, especially for parents to create and hold that space. The important thing is to not get on the emotional roller coaster with the student, which is so much easier said than done. The idea of being curious and being emotionally detached. The goal is to be with someone while they're in pain, not be in their pain with them.”

“I think it doesn't really matter how big your toolkit is unless you can slow down enough to realize, ‘I am completely caught up in my child's experience. I need to look down at what tools are at my disposal.’ So I think practicing what your child is practicing, which is so much of it, is mindfulness.”

“The reason that someone won't share their experience with you or they close off isn't because they don't want to, it's because they think you won't listen or they think that you'll twist their words. But as soon as they know, “I'm gonna be heard,” people open the floodgates because it's a human need.”

Resources:

• https://www.openskywilderness.com/
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/skylights/id1463239577